This chapter, I've managed to get done after Christmas due to working on my other stories a bit. First, let me apologize in advance for failing to get this story done and completed. Number of reasons come from writer's block to plot changes to basically having to use FFX(-2) as a reference. Anyway, this chapter is about, love, happiness, and the bonding of family… Nah, who am I kidding, it doesn't contain any of that! It contains betrayal, and a revelation that doesn't make anyone happy! So enjoy this chapter, y'all.
Chapter 21: Arguments, Accusations, and Departures
"Get… the hell… away from me!"
Serenity's eyes went wide as everyone looked in shock at the icily, angry tone Joey had just used. After all that just went down earlier, they've figured the last thing, or emotion in this case, he would feel is anger, let alone for Serenity, of all people.
"Joey, what's wrong-"
The blonde harshly cut her off. "Get away from me!" He demanded. "NOW!"
Serenity quickly jumped away as Tristan just glared at his friend. "Joey, what the hell's wrong with you?"
"Why don't you ask Serenity? She knows perfectly well! Or do you want her new boyfriend to tell you?"
"Boyfriend?" Yugi asked, as he then shook his head. It couldn't be possible! It was as if he was still under the effect of the rage ring, but that was preposterous! As soon as they made it back to the Celsius the first thing they did was remove the ring from his finger. Now why was he still so angry at Serenity?
"That's right Yuge!" Joey glared as he got out of the bed. "Or didn't she tell you about her little secret rendezvous? While everyone was at your place after the God Cards were stolen!"
"No Joey!" Serenity said desperately to calm him down. "Please just calm down!"
"Calm down?" Joey shook his head. "Calm down? I just found out that my sister's been smooching with my enemy behind my back AND YOU WANT TO CALM DOWN?"
"Joey, it was just a big hoax used by Aria just to drive you berserk and to try to kill us! Duke explained. "And besides, why would she go with someone like Kaiba of all people, anyway?"
"For one thing, he's not a womanizing pig like you, Devlin!" Tristan hissed before turning back to Joey, "And besides that, Kaiba's not exactly one who'd go out with a girl. Besides, any girl who's dumb enough to go out with him deserves a heartache!"
"You know that I'm right here, right?" Noah reminded.
"And I don't think Rikku would appreciate you talking down on Kaiba, either." Buddy added.
"Oh really…" Joey reached into the inside pocket of his picture to pull out the photo. The infamous photo that played a key role in him going berserk. "If you don't believe the words coming outta my mouth, take a look at this!"
Tristan took the photo he looked at it. In all honest opinion, he was praying to God that it was just edited together. A mediocre photoshop job! But unfortunately, it appeared to be very legit. Duke took a look at the picture as well and he couldn't help but feel a bit hurt, shocked, and betrayed.
"At first I was a bit…no, I was very skeptical! Believing that my sister would've never stabbed me in the back like this! But thinking about it now, after everything that's happened lately? She may've turned out to be a back-stabbin' double-crossin' bitch, but Aria had a point!" Joey declared.
"You can't be serious!" Tidus exclaimed, shaking his head. Did Aria still have this guy under some spell or what? No way he could be that dense.
"As a heart attack." Joey explained. "All of a sudden, Serenity wants me to start this whole anger management crap, and for what? So I won't retaliate to Kaiba's insults! So I'll be his little whipping boy who doesn't do nothing and just lets it happen! And why doesn't she want me to retaliate against him, to stand up for myself? Because she doesn't want me to ruin her chances with that piece of sh-"
"JO-"
"I know that you're not trying to scold me because of my language!" Joey hissed at his sister, who was horrified. Joey had never spoke to her this way before, let alone with this amount of anger and hate! "Speaking of scolding, let's flash forward to today! When we were going to meet you guys, I went up the stairs, and guess who came running down? Kaiba pushed me down the stairs, which was a miracle THAT I DIDN'T BREAK MY FREAKING NECK!" And what happens? Do I get a 'Joey are you okay?' A simple 'How's yer head?' Hell no! What I got was 'Come on Joey, we have to help Kaiba!' That jerk could've killed me and Serenity expected me to be like 'Kaiba just pushed me down the stairs and cause my head to be busted open, never mind that the fall could've snapped my neck and paralyzed me or worse killed me, but let's go help the guy responsible for that anyway, even though that he won't give a thank you or show the least hint of gratitude afterwards.'" He scoffed. "I dunno… Maybe she was right. Maybe I should've gone and helped Kaiba. Maybe then he could finish the job, right Serenity?"
"Now you're going too far, Joey!" Tristan glared. "You know Serenity wouldn't do any of this to you! And besides that, you're healed if you haven't noticed."
Joey shook his head. There he was. Tristan defending Serenity! What, did he expect her to kiss him or something? At this point, he didn't care. He didn't even know what to believe anymore."It's not about the bandage disappearing, it's the damn principal of the whole thing. What if it was you? What if you got pushed down the concrete stairs and nearly got killed! Then having somebody to just forget about that and help the same guy who pushed you down, WHO DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO APOLOGIZE FOR WHEN HE COULD'VE BROKEN YOUR NECK? Would you've done the same?"
"But you were fine, were you?" Serenity asked, now becoming angry herself. She somewhat understood his anger about the stairs, but she wasn't going to let him berate her like he was doing now. "Seto need our help and you just decided not to do something over some blood loss."
"Since when did you start callin' Kaiba by his first name, 'Sis?'" Joey snapped as Serenity just realized that she called Kaiba by his first name. All that did was confirm Joey's suspicions. Suspicions of her betrayal. "Now I know there's something going on between you two! And I know that you've been plannin' something behind my back. That's what this whole entire anger management crap is all about, isn't it? Once I become as placid as you like, Kaiba can really make me into his bitch, and I won't be able to do anything about it! Hell, he could nearly kill me and you wouldn't even care-Oh wait, he already did and you don't! Just because he's your boyfriend and you blindly love him so much! After all, it's what you want? Defenseless, stupid, pathetic big brother getting the hell beat out of him by your rich, mega-hottie boyfriend nearly killing him, but that's okay cause he's your boyfriend!"
"No!"
"Than why, Serenity? Why the hell is this so freakin' important to you that you basically want me to turn the other cheek when that jerk nearly kills me?"
"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO BECOME AN INSENSITIVE, SHORT-TEMPERED, ABUSIVE DRUNK JUST LIKE DADDY!" Serenity screamed as everyone's eyes went into shock, including Joey's, at what she just said. Having realized what she just yelled out, Serenity couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe she actually said it to Joey, let alone in his face.
Joey's eyes narrowed as his fists tightened. It appears that the truth had finally come out. All this time, after all they've been through together he believed that Serenity cared about him. That she saw him as a nice guy who always looked out for his friends. But that was all a lie, Serenity really thought of him just the same way she did: He was just a worthless street punk who was a future abusive drunk just like his father. "So that's what you really think of me, huh?" He simply said, his voice wasn't in anger, just…cold. "That's just peachy…"
"Joey…" Serenity walked up to him, tears beginning to form in her eyes, as she reached out her hand, but he just slapped it away.
"You think that I'm just like Pop?" He scoffed, "Fine with me, 'cause up until now, I thought that you were someone who had my back, someone who actually gave a damn about me. I guess I'm really am an idiot. Thinking that you gave a crap about me. But now I know the truth. You think that I'm worthless, a loss cause. And wouldn't have any qualms stabbin' me in the back and let me get killed. Just like Ma…"
"You're right, you are an idiot!" Tristan said. "You a total idiot if you really think that! Damn it, Serenity cares about you!"
"Yeah, scolding me for not being so fast to save her boyfriend after I nearly broke my neck. She really cares a lot!"
"If you mention about your neck being broken one more time, I'll break it myself." Tristan muttered. He was getting tired of Joey's attitude. Serenity was hurting big time and Joey wasn't being much help. What kind of brother was he?
Unfortunately, it wasn't silent enough. "Is that a threat, Tristan?" Joey asked. Now his so-called friend was threatening him now, too? More and more, Aria was being proven right. Not just about Serenity, but his so-called "friends." "If you want to break my neck, than do it! For what? To defend Serenity's honor or something? Pretty admirable to do something for someone who doesn't even like you!"
That was it when Tristan just lost it. Joey was already pissing him off by basically giving Serenity the riot act. That comment was the breaking point when Tristan punched Joey in the face as he stumbled back.
'So that's how it's gonna be…' Joey decided to rush back and tackle Tristan to the ground as the two friends began brawling with each other.
"Joey, Tristan! Stop!" Yugi cried as Buddy, Brother, Duke, Marik, and Bakura tried to pull the two away from each other as Serenity watched on what was happening. It was because she had to mention their father, bringing up their abusive father and comparing Joey to him, as she realized, was possibly the worst thing she had ever done to him.
"Damn it Joey, stop!" Duke yelled as he tried to pry Joey off of Tristan.
"You're not helping things!" Tidus reminded as he pried Tristan's arms from Joey's neck.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU TWO?" Yugi snapped. The others looked at him in shock from the outburst from the usual-placid teen. "WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE STANDING STRONG WITH EACH OTHER NOT RIPPING EACH OTHER TO SHREDS!"
"Tell that to him!" Tristan hissed. "Joey's the one who's acting like a jerk! And that attitude of his isn't helping!"
"Yeah well, maybe I'll just take my attitude and leave!" Joey snapped back as he shoved Duke and Brother off him before going to exit the Celsius.
Buddy called out as Joey. "Hey wait!"
"Why don't ya?" Tristan snapped.
"I will!" Joey was downstairs from the bed as he entered the elevator.
"Good!"
"I'm gone!"
"Go ahead, we don't need ya!" Tristan shouted as the door to the lift closed.
"Are they going to be alright?" Buddy asked.
Yugi sighed, "They do this all the time."
"Unfortunately I have to agree." Bakura stated.
"Ditto…" Marik nodded.
"So what do we do now?" Noah asked.
"Just let that dumbass go!" Tristan stated. "He could use the fresh air to come to his senses."
Serenity just sighed, as tears became to pour from her eyes. Her relationship with Joey was in ruins and, despite what Yugi, Bakura, and Marik believe, he and Tristan might as well destroy their friendship. And the worst of all: It was her fault. It was all her fault.
…
"Where is she?"
"I don't know? She was right around here a minute a go!"
"Then keep looking. You don't want the boss to get angry!"
"Roger!"
The two Syndicate Members continued their search and destroy mission around Macalania Forest. There was no possible way their target could've gotten away that quickly! No matter where their target was, in Spira there was no place to run or hide. Escape from the LeBlanc Syndicate was futile. It was then, from the trees, when they spotted a Al Bhed girl with red and green streaks in her hair making a run for it.
"Stop!"
"There's no escape!"
The two soldiers ran after the girl who ran through the darkened trails of the forest. Since when did she become to be so fast, they wondered? Nevertheless, if she escaped, Yami Marik, Yami Bakura, and Maester Seymour were going to… no, after known what happened to LeBlanc, as well as to Logos and Ormi, they didn't even want to think about what would've happen if they would've failed. Fortunately for them, they caught her right at a dead end…
One of them smirked as he activated his duel disk. "End of the line, Kid!" He declared as he summoned Tiger Axe.
"Surrender now and we promise not to hurt ya." The second said as he followed suit, summoning Wolf Axewielder. "Much!"
Aria narrowed her eyes as she decided on what she should do? Surrender to the Syndicate and join her sisters in the Shadow Realm? Or fight back and run away? But even if she did the latter option, where would she go? At any case, there was only one option to do…
Aria activated her duel disk as she drew a card. Her eyes narrowed, "How 'bout!" She placed the card on the field. "NO!" Through the pyroflies, her Cyber Dragon was summoned. "Get rid of them! Strident Blast!" She ordered as the machine Dragon fired its fiery blast at the two Beast Warriors, as well as their controllers.
"Look out!" Both Syndicate members jumped out of the way as Aria took this chance, this one chance to escape.
As she jumped onto the back of her Cyber Dragon, she looked back at the defensive Syndicate members. "Get us out of here!"
The Machine Dragon nodded as it proceeded to slither away in high speed as more monsters were summoned. A salvo of Winged Beast monsters began to chase her as she looked back. Now wondering what she was going to do. She basically had no place to go. To ask who could she turn to was completely out of the question. Seymour basically disowned her, and Erika and Arana were in the Shadow Realm. The Al Bhed could care less about her, and she knew that there were still plenty of Yevonites that lived in the past who still hated the Al Bhed and the "forbidden machina."
Lady Yuna, her half-sister? Please, she didn't even want to go anywhere near her. And her friends wouldn't be that sympathetic towards her either, especially Miss Holier-Than-Thou Goddess Goody-two-shoes, Champion of Friendship Téa. In fact the only person out of them who would've at least give a damn and tried to help her probably hated her now for what she did to him. And seriously, who would blame him? Aria would be pissed too if anyone tried to turn her against her sisters, break up her family. The only family she ever had. A tear came from her eyes. She just had to mess it up! She finally met people who, with the exception of Téa of course, didn't judge her at all. People who were actually trying to be her friend, but they just had to throw it all away. Her and her sisters! She met someone who could relate to how it was like to be judged and looked down upon, but they had to blow the whole damn thing. And for what? To make Spira feel the pain they felt for a lifetime? To please Seymour? To make their so-called "father" happy? And looked what happened to her now?
She was on the run…
No friends…
No family…
No escape…
No hope…
Aria was alone, and there was no one who could help her now…
Aria sighed. "Looks like it's just you and me, Cyber. No friends, no family, nobody to turn too. And I doubt that there's a Home for us to go to, either, let alone one where they'd accept me." She let out a chuckle. "I see it now. 'The beast can't stay, but we'll take the card.' If nobody accepted me before, why the hell would they start now? Especially after what I…after what we done." She thought about what they've done. They went to the game shop, sent Solomon Moto to the hospital, and thrashed the game shop just to look for the damned God Cards in the first place. Then they were basically sent as spies to watch over Yugi and company. Third came their divide and conquer strategy. And for what? To revive Sin, to destroy Spira and remodel it to what suited those three madmen: Yami Bakura, Yami Marik, and Seymour.
The latter name made her skin crawl. What was she thinking? What were they thinking? Hell, were they thinking? After all, the man did kill his own father! If he had no qualms about Killing Lord Jyscal Guado, his own father, his own flesh and blood, who's to say that he wouldn't kill his three adoptive children, who weren't even Guado, but Al Bhed? The enemy of Yevon! He quickly proved that theory to be true, when Seymour had Yami Marik send Erika and Arana to the Shadow Realm.
And now, it was just a matter of time. The Syndicate should soon be on her trail. Aria could use her Cyber Dragons and Toon Monsters to defend herself, but the Syndicate's monsters were twice in quality and quantity as themselves. Basically there were about 10 monsters for each syndicate member. And the last she checked, there were a helluva lot of people. Only a miracle could save her now, but she wasn't holding her breath for that to happen. If she did meet the same fate as her sisters or worse, Aria would gladly accept it. While some thought of death as unfortunate, she thought of it as both a blessing to escape a world where she was hated and despised, and redemption for all the bad things she has done. Especially to Yuna, and her friends.
Well that was an explosion of emotions. On the Joey/Tristan verbal spat. Bonus points will go to whoever can figure out what scene from what movie it was inspired from. But now with Joey's departure, where will we do? What will the others do? And how will Yuna, Rikku and Téa react when they return to the Celsius. And what about Aria? If and when the LeBlanc Syndicate capture her, what will happen?